House GOP’s Misplaced Blame for Rising Homicides
On Twitter, the House Republican Conference posted an image of rising homicide rates in seven cities with this bit of misleading commentary: “Welcome to President Biden’s America.”
Homicides are on the rise, but the increase started last year when Donald Trump was president. According to data compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the number of homicides rose 33% in 66 major cities in 2020 compared with 2019.
The increase has continued largely unabated since Joe Biden took office. In a report issued May 14, the Major Cities Chiefs Association reported a 29% increase in 63 major cities for the first three months of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020.
Experts say there are several factors that may explain the rising number of homicides, but the president is not one of them – regardless of party.
“Who is in the White House has little to no direct connection to what is inherently a state/local crime problem,” John L. Worrall, a criminal justice professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, told us in an email.
What the Homicide Stats Show
In a June 28 tweet, the House Republicans posted a screen grab of a Fox News graphic that showed “Homicides in 2021 compared to 2020” in seven cities. It showed homicides sharply rising in all seven cities.
The Fox News graphic cited the National Fraternal Order of Police as its source, but no a month earlier that gave the date of the homicide data as May 25.
